Report: Former Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere to retire

Former Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ducks star Teemu Selanne share a moment on the ice after Giguere’s last game in Anaheim — a 3-2 overtime victory over Colorado — on April 13. (Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press)

Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who led the Ducks to the 2007 Stanley Cup championship after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the losing goaltender in the 2003 Final, will announce his retirement next week, according to a report from Canada.

RDS, the French-Canadian sports network, first reported the story Friday.

Giguere, 37, played his final game at the Honda Center while with the Colorado Avalanche, sharing a memorable final lap around the ice with Ducks future Hall of Fame right wing Teemu Selanne, who also played his last regular-season game April 13.

“Teemu is such a class act ... it just comes natural for him to do nice things for people,” Giguere said after fans saluted both players with thunderous applause. “Everybody loves Teemu. I’ll be forever grateful for what he did. I almost felt guilty because I know this was his night.

“It was nice to share a bit of it.”

Giguere won 206 games in 447 regular-season contests with the Ducks from 2000-01 through 2009-10, both club records. He spent the past three seasons with the Avalanche and also played with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames and was the last active member of the Hartford Whalers.

He was named the MVP of the 2003 playoffs after leading the Ducks to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in seven games. He was 15-6 with a 1.62 goals-against average, a .945 save percentage and five shutouts, including three in a row in the Western Conference finals.

Silfverberg re-signs

Right wing Jakob Silfverberg signed a one-season, $850,000 contract with the Ducks. The 23-year-old Swede was the key piece in the Ducks’ blockbuster trade last summer that sent high-scoring left wing Bobby Ryan to the Ottawa Senators.

Advertisement

Silfverberg recorded four goals and one assist in his first four games with the Ducks last season. He finished 2013-14 with 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists), setting career highs for points, assists and games played (52) and matching his best for goals.